Dr. David M. Dooley became the 11th president of the University of Rhode Island in July 2009. He joined the University with nearly 30 years of experience in public and private higher education. Prior to joining the University, Dr. Dooley was the provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Montana State University, which was the school's second highest-ranking administrative position. Dr. Dooley began as an assistant professor of chemistry at Amherst College in Amherst, Mass. in 1978 and left in 1993 to chair the Montana State chemistry department. Six years later he became the interim, then full provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. Dr. Dooley earned a B.A. in Chemistry from the University of California in San Diego and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Dr. Dooley's wife, Lynn Baker-Dooley, is a Baptist minister. The couple has two adult children, Chris and Samantha, and a dog named Rhody.